Whittaker reels off 301 yards against the Tors
The old saying that offense wins games and defense wins championships proved to be the right ingredient for the Pearland Oilers as they faced the Ball High Tornadoes at The Rig in a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Once again, senior running back Fozzy Whittaker crossed the 300 yard mark in a remarkable display of running the ball. But the Pearland defense also decided to take center stage to show they were going to make certain that the Oilers stayed in the playoff hunt.
The Ball High Tornadoes were reduced to a weak whirlwind as the Oilers held the potent Tors' offense to only 24 total yards in the first half while Pearland's offense racked up 280 total yards with Whittaker picking up 213 rushing yards in the first two quarters on 24 carries with one touchdown.
Ball High came into the game with a 6-2 overall mark and ranked No. 18 in the Houston area, but they returned back to The Rock with a 3-2 district record and in danger of not advancing to the post-season again this season. Ball High will close out their season needing a win against Clear Creek (3-2) who beat Alvin 39-8.
It didn't take the Oilers long to establish the direction of this game as Whittaker and Co. marched down the field with the opening possession to complete a 10-play, 83-yard scoring march with Whittaker capping off the drive that took 4:25 off the clock on a two-yard run. Robbie Hersh added the extra point giving the Oilers a 7-0 lead. Whittaker carried six times for 63 yards including a crowd-pleasing 35 yard jaunt through the Tors defense.
Ball High got an outstanding kickoff return to the Pearland 29, but the Oilers defense forced the Tors to attempt a short 24-yard field goal that missed to the left. The Tors had a first-and-goal at the Pearland 10, but linebacker Chris Bogs sacked quarterback Andre Patino on a key third down play.
Pearland moved the ball from their own 20 to the 46 before Devon Sonnier picked off a Pearland pass setting up the Tors in excellent field position at the Oilers' 37.
But the Tors picked up no yards on three straight plays and were forced to punt.
The Oilers took over at their own 20 and nine-plays later, James Williford bulled his way across the Ball High goal line for a three-yard score. The drive was sparked by two runs of 22 and 38 yards by Whittaker. Hersh booted the extra point with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.
The Tors ran three plays and punted setting up the Oilers at their own 10 with 4:26 left in the opening half. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage opening huge holes through the Tors' defense for Whittaker, quarterback Sam Proctor, and Williford.
Whittaker was the workhorse of the drive with eight carries for 65 yards. The drive was capped off with a soft pass from Proctor to tight end Kevin Davis for a six-yard scoring toss. Hersh nailed the extra point for a 21-0 lead with 12 seconds showing on the clock before intermission.
Both teams traded out turnovers to begin the second half as Pearland's Nick Saenz collected his league-leading sixth interception. But the Oilers gave the ball back to the Tors setting up their offense at the Pearland 22.
Two incomplete passes and a run for no gain left the Tors with a fourth-and-10. A pass in the end zone was knocked down by a sensational effort by Chris Landry setting up the Oilers' offense at their 22.
Pearland's offense ripped through the Tors defense with an eight-play, 78-yard drive with Williford collecting his second score of the game with a three-yard run. The extra point was good giving the Oilers a 28-0 lead with 4:04 remaining in the third period.
Whittaker was the workhorse with three carries for 60 yards including a 48-yarder from the Pearland 35 to the Ball High 17. The Oilers scored four plays later.
Pearland scored again with 8:14 remaining in the game when sophomore Kasey Carrier raced 23-yards for a touchdown to cap off a 73-yard, 10-play drive giving the Oilers a 35-0 advantage.
Ball High got another strong kickoff return to set up their offense at the Pearland 43. Terrell McNeil gathered in a pass from Patino covering 28 yards for the score with 7:40 remaining in the game. The extra point missed the mark leaving Pearland ahead 35-6.
The Oilers inserted their backup players who continued the strong dominance with Josh Gonzales scoring on a determined eight-yard run around right end with only 48 seconds left in the game. The Oilers opted to take a knee on the extra point leaving the score 41-6.
But the Tors added one more score on a one-yard sneak by Patino with no time on the clock. The two-point conversion was good and the 41-14 final score was posted.
The Pearland defense had one of their best games of the season and resembled the unit that knocked off state-ranked La Marque earlier in the season. The Oilers are led by Lance Hayes, Gary Robertson, Brian Hodge, Deforester Jones, Bruce Honore, Trevor Amie, Ian Musslewhite, Daniel Shin, Justin Toombs, Brian Thomas, Adrew Hernandez, Chris Moore, Jarrad Stewart, Matt Sanders, Nick Saenz, Reuben Lucas, Vincent Abron and Chris Bogs.
The Oilers finished with 490 yards rushing and 21 yards passing for 511 total yards while the Pearland defense held the Tors to 163 total yards with 139 yards coming in the second half when the game was already decided. Whittaker finished with 301 yards on 29 carries. The fleet-footed running back had only five carries in the second half before getting a much needed rest while not risking a senseless injury down the stretch.
The Pearland offensive line of David Maciel, Mario Burk, Steven Kenney, Billy Boettcher, Brian Thomas, Cory Baumann, Getaneh Mekonen, and Kevin Davis. They are very much a part of the history making numbers that Whittaker has tallied this season.
Pearland closes out the regular season on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. at District Stadium in League City against Clear Brook (3-6). The Wolverines lost their playoff bid with a 13-6 loss to league-leading Brazoswood. The Oilers will advance to the post-season with a win over Clear Brook. Brazoswood has already secured their spot in the playoffs. Clear Creek and Ball High are both 3-2 in league action while Clear Lake and Clear Brook are 2-3. Alvin's season came to an end last week with a 39-8 loss to Clear Creek leaving them at 2-8 for the season and 1-6 in district play